Adding wood ash to the fields will add to the soil alkalinity and add calcium and phosphorus to the soil. We did some basic testing using a kit in my previous post to find out the general levels of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. It was lacking in some areas so it is time to condition the area we are planning on growing in soon.
https://peakd.com/hive-114308/@solominer/soil-testing-the-fields
Previous post
I collect the ash in trash cans and pour it into my tractor once I have enough to spread out in the fields.
I turn the firewood I collect into wood ash, which is high in phosphorous and calcium. It is also a good source for potassium and magnesium.
After a month all of this ash piles up, so I am glad I have a place to put it and make sure of its properties.
My 30 gallon trash can is completely full of cold ash. I only put the hot ashes in my metal buckets first and once they cool they go in these plastic trash cans.
I drive the tractor over and tip the big trash can into the bucket, and it falls out pretty easily. Make sure to wear a face mask, its quite ashy.
Driving the tractor over an area where we designated 1 acre to grow garlic next year. I will pour it in that area.
I love driving the tractor.
Making sure to set the AC to recirculate I then start pouring the wood ash into the fields.
It takes a minute for the ash to settle and we can see the line I made of it while backing up.
When it rains, the water will drive the wood ash into the ground. And hopefully soon I can retest and see what my levels are. I may find a county office to send my soil results off to, I need to look what resources are in my area.
Looking forward to testing again, hopefully we have raised the alkalinity of the soil and raised the levels of phosphorus. Other things like calcium, manganese, carbon and other nutrients can be found in this ash. And with it being water soluble unlike lime it should react much faster.
So what's next?
We add more wood ash, I have only added around 300 pounds so far. An acre calls for at least 6000 pounds so I have a long way to go.
This is a long term project, so it may be a few months before I have enough ash in the soil worth to test again.
But in the mean time we also need to work more nitrogen into the soil, we plan on taking wood chips and tilling them into the grow area. On top of that, using old hay bales from last year should be nitrogen rich and act to boost the soil while the wood chips break down over many months/years. So tilling in both wood chips and hay bales that have been curing for awhile should be good for adding nitrogen into the soil. I guess we will find out next time I test the dirt again.
